One of the greatest long-distance running events on earth just delivered one of its most spectacular editions yet.
The 99th Comrades Marathon, held on June 14 in South Africa, didn’t just crown two champions — it shattered records, rewrote history books, and sent shockwaves through the global ultra-running community.
South Africa’s George Kusche and Gerda Steyn each walked away with over R2-million in prize money, but the numbers behind their victories are what’s truly staggering.
And then there’s Zimbabwean Nobukhosi Tshuma — a woman who made extraordinary personal sacrifices to get to that start line, and nearly made the podium her own.
Jump to:
George Kusche Destroys an 18-Year-Old Record
Nobody saw this coming — not like this.
Kusche crossed the finish line in 5:15:56, obliterating Leonid Shvetsov’s Up Run record of 5:24:49 that had stood since 2008.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
That’s nearly nine minutes faster than a benchmark that survived almost two decades of elite competition.
He also set a new Best Average Pace record for the Up Run at 3:40.99 per kilometre, beating the previous mark of 3:43.75/km set by Vladimir Kotov all the way back in 2000.
Between his win, the first South African finisher prize, and a collection of incentive bonuses, Kusche’s total earnings for the day reached R2,322,000.
Behind him, Dutch defending champion Piet Wiersma finished second in 5:19:36, with South Africa’s Mbuti Mollo taking third in 5:21:31 — also claiming the first male novice prize on debut.
Remarkably, fourth and fifth place finishers Alex Milne of Great Britain (5:22:29) and Japan’s Haruki Okayama (5:24:46) also finished inside the previous Up Run record. Four runners, all faster than a record that had stood for 18 years.
A Podium Full of Debut Gold Medals
The 2026 men’s race had a remarkable subplot running through it.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Of the top 10 men, South Africans Mollo, Lloyd Bosman (7th), and Tebogo Pulusa (10th) all earned gold medals on their very first Comrades starts.
Former 100km World Champion Okayama also claimed gold on debut, while current 50km World Champion Milne continued his remarkable upward trajectory — 15th, 9th, 6th, and now 4th across four consecutive Comrades appearances.
Gerda Steyn Is Simply Untouchable
Five titles. Three Up Run victories. And now, a record she broke herself.
Steyn crossed the line in 5:44:53, smashing her own women’s Up Run record of 5:49:46 that she had set just twelve months earlier in 2024.
She also improved her own Best Average Pace record to 4:01.24 per kilometre, was first woman through the Cell C Hot Spot in Camperdown, and anchored the Hollywood Athletics Club squad to the Women’s Elite Team prize.
All of it combined pushed her total earnings to R2,388,192.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
CMA General Manager Alain Dalais was effusive in his praise at the Champions Prizegiving Breakfast.
These two superb athletes proved they were the best on the day, winning multiple prizes on offer, and they have been richly rewarded for their world-class performances with over R2-million in prize money each.
Nobukhosi Tshuma’s Remarkable Rise to Second
If Steyn’s dominance was expected, Tshuma’s performance was anything but.
The Zimbabwean runner finished fifth in the 2024 edition — solid, but well off the podium.
This time around, she crossed in 5:53:36, claiming second place after making what the CMA described as *terrific personal sacrifices* to train for the race in Kenya.
Third went to South Africa’s Irvette van Zyl in 6:02:30, improving on her fourth-place debut finish from last year.
The Up Run was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
Van Zyl’s words say everything about just how brutally unforgiving this course remains, even for elite athletes.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
History Made in the Women’s Top 10
The women’s race was filled with milestone moments beyond the podium.
Lesotho’s Dikiledi Majara, finishing eighth in 6:12:29, became the first female gold medallist from Lesotho in Comrades Marathon history.
South Africa’s Jenet Mbhele crossed ninth to extend her own record as the first black South African woman to earn four gold medals at the event.
Great Britain’s Carla Molinaro, the current 50km World Champion, took tenth to push her Comrades gold collection to five.
84-Year-Old Johannes Mosehla Rewrites History — Again
Records fell at every level of this race, not just at the front.
Johannes Mosehla, aged 84, completed the 2026 Comrades in 11:12:26 — extending his own record as the oldest finisher in the history of the event.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
He first claimed the record in 2023 aged 81, breaking the mark held by the legendary Wally Hayward since 1989. Mosehla has now rewritten that record four consecutive years in a row.
Dalais made a point of celebrating Mosehla’s achievement directly.
We congratulate 84-year-old Johannes Mosehla for extending his own record as the oldest ever finisher of the race, and for once again proving that age is just a number.
At the other end of the spectrum, 20-year-old Ruan Uys was the youngest male finisher, clocking 7:35:56, while England’s Bailey O’Leary, also 20, was the youngest woman to complete the course.
A Prize Purse That Matched the Performance
The 2026 edition offered a combined prize pool of over R8.2-million — a 10% increase on the previous year’s total.
Sponsor Cell C played a significant role in that uplift, contributing to the top-10 prize money through the Cell C Top Ups, as well as backing the Hot Spot and Average Pace incentives that helped drive the record-breaking performances.
Here our thanks must go to our sponsor Cell C for their contribution to the increased prize purse for the 2026 race. They contributed a substantial portion of the prize money for the top 10 men and women through the Cell C Top Ups that were added to the prize purse for these positions, and thus helped to incentivise the record-breaking performances that lit up the 2026 race!
With 99 editions now complete, the centenary Comrades Marathon is already on the horizon — and after what unfolded on June 14, anticipation for that milestone race has never been higher.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
